DEPRESSIONMYRNA WEISSMAN, Ph.D.A LifeScript exclusive with one of America's best and brightest female physicians.

Myrna M. Weissman, Ph.D.,is a professor of epidemiology in psychiatry at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City.

Everyone gets blue now and then, but women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. “No one knows why,” Weissman says. “Scientists suspect it may be linked to our hormones, but this is unlikely to be the whole answer.”

Depression is most likely to strike us when we go through major social changes: getting divorced or married, landing a new job or losing an old one, becoming a parent or when the kids go off on their own.

But your family history may also play a part.

2009 Medical Breakthroughs

Depression may run in families, according to new research by Weissman and her colleagues, published recently in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In fact, people with inherited depression have thinner right cortexes than those who don’t.

But curing a parent’s depression can reduce the kids’ chances of getting the disorder. “The vulnerability will still be there, but removing triggers in the environment for the child reduces the risk,” Weissman explains.

Depression is much worse when you’re 14 than when you’re 40, she says. That's because “you haven’t chosen an educational trajectory, a career, or a partner and you can make big mistakes that affect your entire life.”

Weissman’s Rx for Women

Read the signs. If you’re having trouble sleeping, concentrating or enjoying activities you used to love; if you have no appetite or energy; or if you feel hopeless, you might be in a true depression. If you’re having trouble sleeping, concentrating or enjoying activities you used to love; if you have no appetite or energy; or if you feel hopeless, you might be in a true depression.

Don’t despair.“If you know the symptoms to watch for, you’ll be able to get help when you need it.” Counseling, medicine or a combo of the two can help let the sun shine in again.

It’s not your fault.“That’s the first thing to realize,” Weissman says. “Second, try to get help.” Find a doctor who knows how to treat depression. Make sure it’s someone you feel comfortable with, whether a man or a woman, a young doctor or an older one.

Dig down to the triggers.What was going on in your life when you started to feel down? Did you move? Get promoted? Have a fight with a friend? Lose a loved one? Understanding what triggered your feelings helps you demystify and overcome them, Weissman says.

Don’t let others belittle your emotions.If you have trouble getting up in the morning, if you feel over the hill or just plain terrible, don’t let anyone tell you it’s only a mood swing. “Yes, you need to get over it,” she says. But you may need medical help to do so.

Don’t go it alone.Social connections can help you keep a bright outlook when things seem bleakest. Don’t make major life decisions. Beware of rash choices to end your marriage, quit your job or tell you best friend you never want to see her again. “It might just be the depression talking.”